Easy Search from the UIUC Library

Use the Easy Search or click on Advanced Search next to the Go button to select sources you would like to search. Click on "What am I Searching?" to see a list of sources included in each category. For history topics, try Multi-Subject Resources, Arts & Humanities (includes history databases) and/or Social Sciences. Results will include resources in many databases!

Full-Text Databases

Identifies articles on U.S. and Canadian history. Includes magazine and journal articles, book reviews, dissertations, and media reviews. It an item you are interested in does not include the full text, click on the blue rectangular “Discover” link that connects you to full text that may be available through another one of our database services. Otherwise, find locations of periodicals in the University Library by going to the A-Z list of electronic journals and databases or using the online catalog to locate titles that are only available in print or on microform. For those searches, select “Start of Journal/Magazine Title” in the Classic Catalog.

Note the multiple search options that are available. It's a good idea to limit your search by publication type and language when starting out (unless you really want to read lots of dissertations and/or your Bulgarian/Russian/German is really, really good).

Full-text access to hundreds of recent (and even not-so-recent) newspaper and magazine articles. Search tip: put quotation marks around unique phrases. On the results page, notice that you can narrow your search by clicking on the categories in the left toolbar. Click on the plus sign to expand your options and click on the blue link to narrow your search.

For those with a literature focus. This database indexes thousands of books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. Full-text provided for many of these items.

Identifies articles, conference papers, books and dissertations in sociology and related fields in social and behavioral sciences. Great database for research on historical events that have socio-cultural implications. Note: NOT a full-text database, but we can likely hunt down a desired article elsewhere.

GenderWatch is a full text database of unique and diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. With its archival material, dating back to 1970 in some cases, GenderWatch is a repository of important historical perspectives on the evolution of the women's movement, men's studies, the transgendered community, and the changes in gender roles over the years. Publications include scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books, and NGO, government and special reports.

Offers information from over 600 journals in communication, mass media and related fields; includes abstracts, indexing, bibliographical citations and author profiles, as well as full text from more 240 titles.

Film & Television Literature Index is a comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing. It has been designed for use by a diverse audience that includes film scholars, college students, and general viewers. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews--Database description screen.

Subject Guide

Other Databases

Identifies articles, books, websites, statistics, yearbooks, directories, conference proceedings, pamphlets, reports, government documents, and microfiches on political, social, public policy issues. Again, NOT full-text, but PAIS includes a huge amount of unique material. For best results, use the advanced search.

Older, full text articles from more than 100 journals in areas including African American studies, anthropology, business, economics, education, finance, history, literature, management, philosophy, political science, sociology. Most include full texts of complete journals from their inception up to a “moving wall,” which is a fixed period of time ranging, in most cases, from 2 to 5 years, that defines the gap between the most recently published issue and the date of the most recent issues available in JSTOR. The Library will, in many cases, have a separate subscription for the more recent issues.

Searches full-text in over 150 journals supplied by 10 university presses. Click on the search button to start your search. Muse works well for more recent periodical issues, while JSTOR (see above) reproduces older volumes.